Method and means of sealing containers



Sept. 17, 1929. w. B. FENN METHOD AND MEANS OF SEALING CONTAINERS Filed Feb. 15, 1927 Patented Sept. 17, 1929 1,728,533

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM B. FENN, OF PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MARGARET II.

FENN, OF PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK METHOD AND MEANS OF SEALING CONTAINERS Application filed February 15, 1927. Serial No. 168,310.

This invention relates broadly to a novel of a high rate of production in canning proform of container for foods and the like. cedure. I have found that by use of con- One of the objects of this invention is to tainers equipped with valves of the type about provide a new and novel form of valve conto be described by me that a suitably construction for use in containers for ood prodstructed machine Willthoroughly and comuots and the like. pletely vacuumize, sterilize and seal cans or Another object of this invention is to proother containers at the rate of from one hunvide a special form of container particularly dred to one hundred and fifty per minute.

adapted for permitting the rapid vacuumiza- Referring to the drawings, the containeris 10 tion and sterilization of containers and their shown at 14. This container may be of the 0 contents, usual metallic type or any other type as, for

A further object of this invention is to proinstance, bottles having the well known crown vide a valve of this type which is relatively seal caps. It is, of course, evident that any simple in construction and adapted for cheap type of container could be used with this 16 and rapid manufacture. valve. A suitable closure 1 is shown for the A still further'object of this invention is container which, in this instance, is secured the provision of a novel method of vacuumthereto by beading as at 2 or with interlavizing, sterilizing and sealing containers. ing sealingcompounds and by soldering to These and many other objects as will appear form an air-tight and liquid-tight joint.

2 from the following description are obtained Near the center of this closure is shown a by my invention. raised cylindrical portion which is depressed This invention resides substantially in the into a plane disc like center at 4 to provide combination, arrangement, location and relaan annular pocket? An opening 5 is providtive arrangement of parts and steps of proed in the center of the plane surface 4 and is 2 cedure as will appear from the following dispreferably circular. It will be noticed that closure. t at the base of the projection the diameter Referring to the drawings there is shown is slightly less than the diameter of the re- F i maining portion and serves to hold therein Figure 1 a top plan view of a container proa valve disc shown generally at 10. This disc 30 vided with the valve of my invention; consists of a central flat portion 6 having Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on a raised circular hump 7 and having its edges the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direccurved as at 8. The edges are scalloped. or tion of the arrows; notched as shown at 9. A suitable sealing Flglll'e 3 ma bottom plan view of he cover compound is placed within the pocket. at 3 35 01 the container ShOWll'lg the bottom Of the as shown at and Serves to form an air valve; and liquid-tight joint as will appear short- (1.53 3 5 15 a bottom P Vlew of the Valve 1y. To seal the container it is necessary to 1 3 force the valveri idly against the plane sur- Flgure 5 1S a crpsssectlonal Vlew taken 9 face 4 so that the hump 7 projects through the the line 55 of Flgure 4.

In the modern methods of vacuumizing, opemng To do thls St clamptng vices force the base portion of the pro ect1on sterilizin and sealing containers the two main reqzflisites are speed of Operation and 3 at the point where it runs into the closure uniformity of product. Many methods have body Itself Show? at 12 d i l 5 n devised for carrying out these opem so that the valve d1sc looklng at Figure 2 1s 5 tions but none of them are particularly adaptfirmly forced agifmst the can p as Seat ed to meet the rapid production requirements y S g compolmd sultable of the present date. It is, therefore, one of p ng devlce would consist, for instance, th purposes f thi i ti t id a of a plurality of arcuate aws which, when valve structure for containers that permits finally forced together radially to form the base of the projection in its final shape, wouldform a complete circle.

This container has been particularly devised to aid in carrying out a process developed by me which I will now describe and which is essential to get rapid production. The containers after they have been filled with the product to be sealed therein are fed to a machine having a suitable resilient seat therein to receive the raised portions of the container top which forms a valve. It may be pointed out herethat before the containers are sealed that the valve 6 merely fits loosely in the projection and is held there by reason of the fact that the base portion of the projection is of slightly less diameter than the valve disc. The introduction of the container into this machine provides an 'airtight connection between the top of the raised portion of the container and a conduit which connects to the vacuumizing device. At the same time apin contacts with the hump 7 to positively force the valve off its seat. The container is then'rapidly vacuumized by withdrawing the air or gases therein which escape past the valve disc at its scalloped edges. When the container is fed to the machine and it becomes seated therein a series of arcuate clamping arms, as described above, grasp the raised projection of the valve structure around the curved portion 3 to hold it firmly without deforming the metal. As soon as the container is completely vacuumized the whole structure including the container is rotated through 180 so as to invert the container. Steam is then immediately fed to the interior of the container through the same conduit as before. This inversion of the container is one of the essential features of my method which permits a high rate of production. I have found. that the steam quickly and rapidly travels to every portion of the container to carryout this terilizing and other functions in a minimum period of time. As soon as the sterilizing operation is completed the clamping jaws which have served to both hold the container on the seatof the machine and to aid in its inversion are forced inwardly radially to further reduce the diameter of the raised portion at 12 so as to simultaneously close the container and seal it by embedding the valve disc in the sealingcompound. The A sealing compound serves to stop up all openings, especially the notches ,on the periphery of the valve disc; Instead of steamI can, of course, use any desired heated medium as water, air, or other gases, or syrups.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided a novel form of container and method of treating the same which is relatively simple in construction and which permits of rapid and accurate processin v I am well aware that many changes in the detalls of construction relative to the arrange- ,is firmly seated.

ment of parts and association of steps will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of my invention and I do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the particular features pointed out by me for illustrative purposes, but rather to the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appeanded claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A container closure comprising a. substantially plane member having a raised central portion projecting above of, with an opening therein, and a valve in said opening adapted to seal it when the raised portion is squeezed inwardly radially.

2. A container closure comprising a body portion having a raised central part having an opening therein, the base of said raised part being of slightly less diameter than the top and a valve disc under and within said raised part, said valve disc contacting at its periphery with the base of said raised part.

3. The combination with a container of 'a closure therefor having a raised central portion with an opening therein, the base of said portion being of slightl less diameter than the top and a scallope valve disc in said raised portion."

4. A closure for a container comprising a central raised portion having an opening therein, the base of said raised portion being of'slightly less diameter than the rest, and a valve disc therein having a hump thereon to close said opening when the disc is firmly seated by applying pressure 'to the base of said raised'portion.

5. Acontainer closure comprising a body member having a pocket formed therein, said pocket having 'an opening, and a free valve member within said pocket, and arranged to seal said opening when the pocket is compressed at its point of juncture with the body member. I

6. A closure for a containercomprising a central, raised portion having an opening therein, the base of said raised portion being of slightly less diameter than the restfand scalloped valve disc therein having ahump thereon to close said opening when the disc 7. A closure for a container comprising a central raised portion having an opening therein, the center of said raised portion being depressed, a valve disc in said raised portion having a hump to fit in said opening, and a sealing'rin between said disc and the top of said raise portion.

8. A closure for a container comprising a central raised portion having an opening the plane theretherein, the center of said raised portion being depressed, a valve-disc in said raised por- I tionhaving a hump to fit in said opening, the eriphery of said disc being curved and note ed, said curved periphery underlying an annular pocket formed by the depression of the raised portion and a sealin compound in said pocket above said curve pericfhery.

9. A closure for a container inclu ing a valve a portion thereof being loosel located within the container when the c osure is applied thereto and means for permanently sealing said valve by pressure exerted substantially in the direction of the eriphery of said valve.

In testimon whereof I have hereuntoset my hand on t is second day of February A.

WILLIAM B. FENN. 

